For the first time since 2016, Spain will stand on the medal rostrum in the Under 19 Girls category at the European Youth Championships. And for the first time since 2019, Romania will have no representatives among the medal winners in the same category. That is the outcome of their dramatic quarterfinal clash today in Czechia.
Spain previously won bronze in 2016, ending a long drought following back-to-back gold medals in 2004 and 2005 with the team led by Galia DVORAK. Last year, they finished seventh and entered this year’s EYC as the no. 8 seeds.
On the other side, Ostrava once again proved to be an unlucky venue for Romania. It was also in 2019, at this very location, that the Romanian team missed the podium. This will now be only the third time in this century that Romania’s junior girls fail to reach the medal podium.
The no. 5 seeds and last year’s runners-up were defeated in an unusual and dramatic style. Bianca MEI ROSU gave Romania a good start with a win over Maria BERZOSA, but then Camila Renata MOSCOSO turned the momentum of the match. She defeated Alesia Sofia SFERLEA, and Mariona MUNNE followed up with a win against Andreea JIFCU. Finally, MOSCOSO delivered the decisive blow, beating the reigning Under 19 Singles champion MEI ROSU.
“This win is like a dream for us, we still can’t believe it. I played really well in this match, but I was quite nervous for sure. I’m still young, and these wins carry a lot of weight for me, especially against Bianca MEI ROSU. She is an incredible player,” said MOSCOSO.
She continued:
“It’s not usual for Spain to win a medal, so this is an incredible moment for us. In both matches I felt a lot of pressure, but I believed in myself the whole time. With Bianca, it’s really complicated to win, but I did it and I’m so happy. I’ll never forget this moment. In that match, I just played and stayed focused. I didn’t change anything during the match. I stuck to the tactic we discussed beforehand: playing more short balls and focusing on controlling her serves, which are very high-quality.”
MOSCOSO underlined the team’s performance.
“I’m so proud of my team — you can’t even imagine how much. It’s a huge relief for us, and now it’s most important to stay focused for the next round and play our best, just like we did against Romania,” said MOSCOSO.
In the semifinals, Spain will face Ukraine, who also produced an upset by defeating no. 2 seeds Germany. In the other semifinal, top seeds France will play against Portugal. France overcame Austria, while Portugal halted Hungary’s progress.
